DMN: Romo, defenders don't see eye to eye
by Todd Archer
QB has knack for throwing defenses off by looking other way
IRVING – At 6-2, Tony Romo is tall enough to be a successful quarterback. His right arm is strong enough to make all the throws. He has the instincts to play for a long time.
And he has the eyes.
Many times since training camp began in San Antonio, Romo's eyes have told stories defenders have a difficult time reading.
Prior to the snap, he will have an idea of what any kind of defense will do to whatever play is called. In some cases, he will know where he is throwing the ball before he gets the ball in his hands.
"I think the most underrated thing of quarterbacking sometimes is just timing," Romo said. "It's timing: when you let go of the ball, when you look to a guy, when you set your feet. It's the little things that are really overlooked by a lot of people.
"I think that's one thing I've stressed to myself is to do those certain little things that I gain an advantage on. I'm not going to tell you what they are because they give me an advantage."
What Romo has done more in this camp is move his eyes to different targets. They dart from inside to outside, from deep to close, drawing a defender inches to his left or right, front or back and creating an opening big enough for him to slide the ball to his receiver.
"He has a good knack for kind of feigning like he's going to throw the ball when he isn't – move a shoulder a little bit or move his head," coach Wade Phillips said. "I don't know if they see his eyes, but he'll move a little bit to make the defense move. I don't know if that's all natural with him or not. I think it probably is."
During practices in San Antonio, Romo has kept his eyes on the running backs out of the backfield to make the outside linebackers respect the possibility of the swing pass, only to fire a bullet to the middle of the field to the tight end.
Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson is attempting to teach rookie quarterbacks Matt Moore and Richard Bartel to be more like Romo with their reads.
"Young guys get their eyes on the target so it helps their accuracy," Wilson said. "The more you see it, the more accurate you can throw, but Tony's got special ability to throw accurately and find the guy late."
Having watched Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe during his first three NFL seasons before finally getting on the field last year, Romo was able to digest the intricacies of the position. Having started 11 games, including playoffs, he has a feel for the game's speed.
In the film room, he will see how a defense moves to a quarterback's set-up. On certain routes or formations, he'll see he can gain an advantage if he looks one way or the other. So far, his eyes have not fooled his receivers.
"They have the impression now that when I'm not looking, they know they're still very available to me," Romo said. "In practice, they see it. They feel it that sometimes I'm not looking at them, but yet the ball still ends up coming to them."
It's almost like he's a point guard in basketball, although don't expect any no-look throws to Terrell Owens.
"You're always touching on little things as you play the game longer and longer," Romo said, "but last year as I watched film in certain times and certain areas, I think I'll do things better this year in areas than I did last year."
QB has knack for throwing defenses off by looking other way
IRVING – At 6-2, Tony Romo is tall enough to be a successful quarterback. His right arm is strong enough to make all the throws. He has the instincts to play for a long time.
And he has the eyes.
Many times since training camp began in San Antonio, Romo's eyes have told stories defenders have a difficult time reading.
Prior to the snap, he will have an idea of what any kind of defense will do to whatever play is called. In some cases, he will know where he is throwing the ball before he gets the ball in his hands.
"I think the most underrated thing of quarterbacking sometimes is just timing," Romo said. "It's timing: when you let go of the ball, when you look to a guy, when you set your feet. It's the little things that are really overlooked by a lot of people.
"I think that's one thing I've stressed to myself is to do those certain little things that I gain an advantage on. I'm not going to tell you what they are because they give me an advantage."
What Romo has done more in this camp is move his eyes to different targets. They dart from inside to outside, from deep to close, drawing a defender inches to his left or right, front or back and creating an opening big enough for him to slide the ball to his receiver.
"He has a good knack for kind of feigning like he's going to throw the ball when he isn't – move a shoulder a little bit or move his head," coach Wade Phillips said. "I don't know if they see his eyes, but he'll move a little bit to make the defense move. I don't know if that's all natural with him or not. I think it probably is."
During practices in San Antonio, Romo has kept his eyes on the running backs out of the backfield to make the outside linebackers respect the possibility of the swing pass, only to fire a bullet to the middle of the field to the tight end.
Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson is attempting to teach rookie quarterbacks Matt Moore and Richard Bartel to be more like Romo with their reads.
"Young guys get their eyes on the target so it helps their accuracy," Wilson said. "The more you see it, the more accurate you can throw, but Tony's got special ability to throw accurately and find the guy late."
Having watched Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe during his first three NFL seasons before finally getting on the field last year, Romo was able to digest the intricacies of the position. Having started 11 games, including playoffs, he has a feel for the game's speed.
In the film room, he will see how a defense moves to a quarterback's set-up. On certain routes or formations, he'll see he can gain an advantage if he looks one way or the other. So far, his eyes have not fooled his receivers.
"They have the impression now that when I'm not looking, they know they're still very available to me," Romo said. "In practice, they see it. They feel it that sometimes I'm not looking at them, but yet the ball still ends up coming to them."
It's almost like he's a point guard in basketball, although don't expect any no-look throws to Terrell Owens.
"You're always touching on little things as you play the game longer and longer," Romo said, "but last year as I watched film in certain times and certain areas, I think I'll do things better this year in areas than I did last year."
posted by The Gryphon at 5:43 PM
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